Oct 04 2011
Unsuccessful Farming?
UPDATE 10-6-10: Several readers have emailed us with a new response, this time from BHG's editor in chief:
Dear [NAME],
Thank you so much for contacting me regarding our charity pumpkin stencil program. Your opinion is important to me, and I sincerely appreciate hearing your views and receiving the information that you’ve provided.
The goal of our Carving for a Cause program is to give readers a chance to support the various causes that they are passionate about, and we selected these charities with that goal in mind.
With respect to the Humane Society of the United States, our contribution of $5,000 is a one-time restricted donation to the Animal Rescue Team’s efforts to aid animals after natural disasters. We know that our readers truly love their pets and domestic animals. In retrospect, I should have made that focus clearer in my editor's letter. As an editor I strive for clarity, but fell short in this instance.
Thank you again for reaching out. I so appreciate that you wrote to share your views and this information.
Gayle
Original post:
We’ve heard from many of you who have contacted Better Home and Gardens following its editor in chief’s promotion of HSUS in the October issue. (Read this for background.) An astute reader emailed us today and pointed out something ironic—the Meredith Corporation, which publishes Better Homes and Gardens, was actually founded in 1902 with the Successful Farming magazine.
Here’s the problem: Promoting HSUS and promoting successful farming are mutually exclusive endeavors.
Why? HSUS wants to end animal agriculture. That couldn’t have been clearer when HSUS Vice President for Farm Animal Issues told an animal rights conference:
We don't want any of these animals to be raised and killed. But when we're talking about numbers like “one million slaughtered in the U.S. in a single hour,” or “48 billion killed every year around the world,” unfortunately we don't have the luxury of waiting until we have the opportunity to get rid of the entire industry.
And so because of that, a number of organizations including the Humane Society of the United States, we work on promoting veganism.
It couldn’t be any more transparent than that. HSUS’s version of “successful farming” means putting every dairy, livestock, and feed-crop farmer out of business. More and more folks are getting the picture, with Nebraska’s governor and U.S. Rep. Steve King becoming very vocal about the threat to farmers’ livelihood.
One HumaneWatch reader sent us the response she received from Better Homes and Gardens after she emailed them to share her disappointment with the magazine’s promotion of HSUS. BHG told her:
Thank you for taking the time to comment on the charity stencil program.
We respect your right to disagree with our choices, and hope you will consider another charity stencil option from the assortment offered through the program, or one of the many stencils we offer on our website:
BHG.com/charitystencils
http://www.bhg.com/halloween/pumpkin-carving/printable-pumpkin-stencils/
Again, thank you for writing. You are a valued reader.
Does it sound like they “get it”? If you want to share your thoughts with BHG, you can email BHGEditor@meredith.com.
Comments
h$u$ PROBALY own shares in BHG
Evidently BHG responds with the same words to everyone because that’s EXACTLY the response I received. I felt it was obviously a “canned” response when I received it.
With all the lettuce,spinash and melon recalls what is safe to eat?
I have subscribed to BHG for a number of years. I will be cancelling my subscription if BHG teams up with the HSUS lobbist who not only want to take our right to hunt with dogs but, now want to call the cattle industry abusive to animals. HSUS only gives about 1 percent of their donations to rescues; this is documented fact. I hope BHG will do their research before teaming with these thieves.
I got the same “canned resposne’.. I wrote back and told them my pumpkin would say Boycott Better Homes and Garden and the HSUS.. LOL
Since BHG doesn’t want to listen, maybe the Meredith Corporation would. Especially if subscriptions are canceled…..
Got a followup response today from what appears to be an actual human being:
Dear Susan,
Thank you so much for contacting me regarding our charity pumpkin stencil program. Your opinion is important to me, and I sincerely appreciate hearing your views and receiving the information that you’ve provided.
The goal of our Carving for a Cause program is to give readers a chance to support the various causes that they are passionate about, and we selected these charities with that goal in mind.
With respect to the Humane Society of the United States, our contribution of $5,000 is a one-time restricted donation to the Animal Rescue Team’s efforts to aid animals after natural disasters. We know that our readers truly love their pets and domestic animals. In retrospect, I should have made that focus clearer in my editor’s letter. As an editor I strive for clarity, but fell short in this instance.
Thank you again for reaching out. I so appreciate that you wrote to share your views and this information.
Gayle
This was the response that I received:
Thank you so much for contacting me regarding our charity pumpkin stencil program. Your opinion is important to me, and I sincerely appreciate hearing your views and receiving the information that you’ve provided.
The goal of our Carving for a Cause program is to give readers a chance to support the various causes that they are passionate about, and we selected these charities with that goal in mind.
With respect to the Humane Society of the United States, our contribution of $5,000 is a one-time restricted donation to the Animal Rescue Team’s efforts to aid animals after natural disasters. We know that our readers truly love their pets and domestic animals. In retrospect, I should have made that focus clearer in my editor’s letter. As an editor I strive for clarity, but fell short in this instance.
Thank you again for reaching out. I so appreciate that your wrote to share your view and this information. I truly value your readership and your concerns.
Does anyone else find it odd that HSUS got a $5K grant for the Animal Rescue Team’s effort to save animals after a natural disaster…and yet HSUS hasn’t been involved in any type of animal relief from a natural disaster for a couple of years now???? Makes you wonder where that money is REALLY going and what it will REALLY be spent on…..
Erica: check out this TV station report for more on HSUS and Katrina: http://www.vidoosh.tv/play.php?vid=4360
The Louisiana attorney general opened an investigation of HSUS after katrina.
I rec’d the same canned response, but I replied back to the magazine editor again. I think we need to keep pressure on; we can’t allow the HSUS to slide by again. We have to keep educating people. Thanks to this website for keeping us informed. I will write every time you provide an address.
I just received my subscription copy of BHG magazine and I’m also a suscriber of their online magazine. I hope they are ready to revanp their entire recipe collectoin that is a big part of both venues I’m subscribed to. When they no longer have any agricultural lifestock products to cook with it sure is going to mess with what they have to offer. No, I don’t think they get it yet but I’ll bet they will by the time this is over with. I’m going visiting right now.
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With so many charities & good constructive possibilities, one would believe that BHG could stay away from any controversial issues. As a long-time subscriber, I am disappointed.